CEDAR CITY, Utah, April 19 – The Thunderbird soccer team closed out its 2013 spring slate with a three-game trip to Grand Junction, Colo. last weekend where it took the field against Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference, Colorado from the Pac-12 and Division II power Colorado Mesa. SUU strongly competed in all three matches, but took a 1-0 loss in each contest.

“Our play this weekend was a fantastic reflection of all the hard work our players have put in over the spring,” stated SUU head coach Becky Hogan. “We played top-notch competition and showed extremely well. 1-0 losses across the board are not indicative of how awesome the players preformed.”

Southern Utah controlled the run of play in its outing against Wyoming, creating several scoring chances early on. The T-Birds were unable to find the back of the net however, and the Cowgirls put in a goal during a scramble mid-way through the second half to come away with the 1-0 victory.

The Thunderbirds following matchup with Colorado was just as close as the two sides played a scoreless opening period. SUU had a couple of opportunities to notch the opening goal with a pair of corner kicks late in the half, but the Buffs were able to clear the ball both on both tries. Colorado then got a goal across shortly after the break and held on for the win after withstanding Southern Utah’s push for an equalizer.

“We hung in there and battled for the entire game in each outing,” commented Hogan. “This Thunderbird squad is a very tough group of young women - they won't fold in the face of odds stacked against them. We gave it out as good as we got it and fought on every possession.”

The final match of the weekend pitted Southern Utah against Colorado Mesa. The T-Birds controlled the run of play throughout and just missed after creating several solid scoring opportunities. It appeared that the game was headed to a scoreless draw until the Mavericks were able to sneak in a goal in the final seconds to edge SUU in another 1-0 result.

“The strides this program has over the past year is a result of a lot of hard work and dedication. Our players spent many hours this spring working on individual skills outside the framework of organized practices,” stated Hogan. “I'm incredibly proud of the players we have on the roster and believe that a championship can be built on their shoulders.”